Palmer: MH17 site too dangerous for AFP officers

Owen Jacques is an award-winning investigative journalist from Mackay, now based on the Sunshine Coast as APN Australian Regional Media’s Online News Editor. He has a strong background reporting on politics, business and breaking news. Owen has also specialised in resources reporting, which included a successful campaign to fight 100% fly-in, fly-out mining in rural Queensland towns.

CLIVE Palmer wants the contingent of Australian Federal Police in Ukraine to be brought home immediately because the MH17 crash site is too dangerous.

Speaking to ABC Radio this morning, Mr Palmer said while fighting was taking place, their lives were being put at risk.

"I'm very reluctant to say this, but we've got to protect these people before something happens to them," he told ABC's AM program.

"I just don't think it's realistic to have a lot of people who are alive worrying about recovering remains that's going to put anyone's life in danger, to be honest with you, I just can't see the point of it.

"I don't believe, that if it was my family I'd want to see other Australians killed just to recover remains, to be honest with you, and I don't think any of the families would want to put other families' husbands and wives at risk."

Mr Palmer said Australia may need to accept that recovering remains might be impossible.

ABC reports the Palmer United Party has not received a security briefing by the Government, nor has he requested one.

Mr Palmer tweeted that they should be brought home if they cannot access the crash site.

Earlier today, two Australian officers were able to reach the area as part of an international delegation.

Time to bring our AFP team home from eastern Ukraine if they can't get to #mh17 crash site as they will be harm's way in hostile situation

AUSTRALIAN experts including a "very senior Australian police commander" have been confronted with human remains during their first visit to the MH17 crash site in Ukraine.

After days of frustrated attempts to reach the site due to political instability and ongoing military skirmishes between pro-Russian militants and Ukraine forces, the delegation was finally able to briefly access the area.

Spokesman for the international monitoring mission in Ukraine, Canadian Michael Bociurkiw told the ABC the Australians now have a better understanding of what will be needed to begin retrieving the remains.

A toy bear is placed on charred plane fuselage parts, as people walk through the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine.Vadim Ghirda

Mr Bociurkiw said the latest delegation included two Australians and two Dutch officers who had "a good look around" the crash site.

"They got a better appreciation of what type of extra assets would be needed to help the investigation and do crucial things like the resumption of the retrieval of human remains," Mr Bociurkiw told ABC.

"They did spot human remains today.

"For us, we've been there so many times now.

"But no matter how hardened we think we are, it was a very sad, poignant moment for us today because it was almost exactly two weeks to the hour that that plane came down."

OSCE SMM monitors reach #MH17 crash site for 1st time in almost week, accompanied by 4 Dutch, Australian experts. Used new route to access